This invention generally relates to a display card for merchandise and to a method for manufacturing the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a display card for merchandise that is adapted to display products that have a tab extending from their packaging. Specifically, the invention relates to a slotted display card that has a mechanism for engaging the tabs of product packaging.
Retailers have frequently used clip strips or clip sheets for displaying products that are too small to place on shelves or that are seasonal in nature. The strips or sheets are hung on other product displays or on shelf supports so that they do not take up valuable shelf space.
The clip strips and sheets used in the prior art are typically manufactured from a lightweight plastic that has been die-cut to produce a plurality of upwardly extending pegs that are each flanked by two downwardly extending legs. The products for display need to be mounted onto a cardboard backing sheet that includes a hole toward its upper end. The peg of the clip strip is inserted through the hole and the legs engage over a portion of the uppermost end of the cardboard backing sheet. In this manner the product is attached to the clip strip or sheet. The attachment of the products onto the clip strip or sheet is a labor intensive operation inasmuch as every single product has to manually be mounted onto a peg on a clip strip. Once the products are mounted onto the clip strips or sheets, they are packaged and sent to the retailer. During transit, the products tend to become disengaged from the pegs. It is not uncommon for retailers to find that around 50% of the products have become detached from the clip sheets or strips. It is then up to the retailer to reinstall the products onto the strips. The clip strips or sheets are then hung onto the displays or shelf supports so that consumers can see them.
Apart from the disengagement of the products from previously known clip sheets and strips during shipping, these products have also had other disadvantages for the retailer. The first of these is that a fairly limited number of products may be displayed on any one clip strip or sheet. Secondly, when consumers remove the products from the clip strips, they may accidentally disengage other products from the strip. Once a peg has been used, it tends to become slightly deformed and consequently if a consumer attempts to reattach products onto the clip strip, they tend to fall off again. After a few attempts the consumer is likely to give up and place the product on another shelf. This leaves the retailer with the problem of not having products adequately on display in the store and having to repeatedly reattach products onto the strips or sheets. Even if the products remain on the sheets, the displays tend to be messy in appearance. This does not enhance the aesthetic appeal of the clip strip display and does not aid in selling the product.
Several devices have been developed to address these problems. These devices have included metal rods with metal clamps mounted on them or thin metal strips with upwardly extending metal hooks. In some instances, like the device with metal clamps, the problem of products disengaging during shipping have been greatly reduced. The devices are, however, far more expensive to manufacture and still require the manual installation of products.
There is therefore still a need in the art for an inexpensive, easily manufactured and shipped, display card for displaying various products.
The device of the present invention is a sheet that has a simple yet effective means for securing products to it. The sheet include at least one slit that is adapted to receive the tab from the packaging of a product to be displayed. A boss projects into the slit. The boss is adapted to engage a slotted tab that extends from the packaging of the product. The tab from the product is inserted through the slit in the display card and the slot in the tab is brought into engagement with the boss on the sheet. The sheet is adapted to be hung on a store display and consequently the product is suspended from the boss and kept in position by gravity.
The product""s packaging tabs are preferably provided with perforations so that when a consumer wishes to purchase the product, they pull on the product, the perforations tear and the product is released from the display card.